THERE IS NO TIME TO LOSE
Tennis is particularly characterized as a game of unlimited time with limited breaks (between points, in the preparation of the serve, in the return of serve, in the changes of side and at the end of the set). The player is alone on the court from the beginning to the end, there are no reserves, no one substitutes. There are no time-outs when things go wrong. Decisions have to be made constantly and we only have one second to make them. This shows us that an excellent technique is not enough, that using good game tactics does not guarantee winning the game, and that the mental state has a great influence on the tactical, technical and physical aspects.
The times mentioned above make up more than 50% of the match. This opens the question about the use we make of those seconds. What happens in the player's head while he is not hitting the ball? How to optimize this time?
I start from the assumption that four fundamental pillars of Sports Psychology are infiltrated in those lapses of time where the ball is not in play: Motivation, Concentration, Self-confidence and Pressure Control.
Djokovic is asked in an interview about what goes through his head, he maintains that our mind likes to travel between the past, present and future all the time. Thinking about what would have happened, imagining possible scenarios... He even believes that the constancy of thought, the fact of not thinking about it, and staying in the here and now, is not even possible.
In those few but significant seconds, we are expected to be able to identify what it is that distracts us. We know that there are internal distractors: feelings, thoughts or emotions of the player, and external distractors: related to the environment; that threaten the state of concentration. Is it the applause, the screams of the audience, is it my own thoughts? How does one return to concentration? Attentional cues are fundamental to achieve refocusing. These can be internal stimuli (such as self-talk) or external, which we use to trigger actions.
Each athlete must develop and incorporate certain verbalizations or ideas to stimulate, reinforce, direct and evaluate what he/she perceives and feels. These are words that refer to performance and not to results, that helps to reduce the appearance of negative thoughts, which function as psychological obstacles that provoke a vicious circle: expectations of failure that end up leading to real failure, lowering self-image and increasing the prospect of future failures.
Experience has shown us once again that you should never give up on Nole, who always seems to rise to any challenge that comes his way. His momentum, his ability to overcome adversity, to approach difficult situations as challenges and react to them with greater resolve, was evident in the third round of the US Open, where he staged an epic comeback after being two sets down (4/6 4/6).
As usual when he is down on the scoreboard, he went to the locker room between sets to change clothes. It is well known that these breaks, allowed by the rules, are usually well used by Nole to mentalize himself in a positive way. Let's remember that everything a tennis player thinks before, during and after each point, influences the next point.
In the third set he manages to break his opponent's serve for the first time in the match and goes ahead in the score 2/0, taking control of the competition with the aim of taking the lead, without fear of taking risks and playing to win. Although this attitude does not guarantee that the athlete will always have a good performance, it is essential if he/she wants to develop his/her maximum potential.
It is possible to make some mistakes, take wrong decisions or sporadically lose concentration, but the convinced belief in oneself helps to face mistakes and difficulties effectively, as well as to maintain the effort that leads to success.
Suddenly the comeback was in the making. In critical moments of the competition it is key to generate positive emotions: to seek tranquility, to be relaxed in the face of pressure conditions, to be self-confident and to manifest a positive body language; allowing the player to be more energetic and assertive. Nole waves his arms and hands to ask the spectators to support him. His performance improves as his confidence level increases.
"Once I got the break in the third set, I thought, 'Okay. I've got a chance.'" Never doubting about his ability to succeed, he persisted and was confident that success was going to happen. And so his tennis became increasingly solid and forceful, holding firm and preventing his opponent from recovering.
At the end of the match he revealed that at the end of the second set he gave himself a little motivational talk in front of the mirror "I forced myself to lift my spirits". The internal dialogue, during these seconds, turns out to be a fundamental strategy that allows not only to control the effort, but to regulate emotions and promote positive and pleasant moods, as well as to strengthen self-confidence.
"The winner is the one who believes in victory more" - N. Djokovic
By Guada Gimenez.
